80-cap Sweden international Sebastian Larsson, who was already struggling for regular football this season, suffered a serious injury last year. The Swede has been on the sidelines since November and will be desperate to get back in action against West Ham this weekend.

With that in mind the Swedish midfielder has been putting himself through his paces in Sunderland training.

He was pictured in action as Sunderland prepared themselves for the West Ham tie - with the Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce heading back to West Ham for the first time since he was manager at the Boleyn Ground.

Larsson has played 12 games for the club so far this season and will be hoping it will be lucky 13 for him in London this weekend.

Mathew Nash

I’m Mathew Nash a 27 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.Mathew is a correspondent for the NextGen Series, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga.